AuthorBoth Outcasts This is our 50th article! So we thought we would give a run down of how we currently see the game, the positives and negatives and what we hope for in the future. So I will let my fellow Outcast kick us off. Sports Billy
Football is as big as its ever been – its everywhere! On TV 24/7, its taken over social media platforms and even the more non-traditional of footballing “backwaters” have embraced the beautiful game (USA, Oz and NZ I’m looking at you). This takeover of the worlds sporting arena is probably down to the sheer quality of football that is readily available. Most generations are lucky to have one global star to enjoy, such as Pele, Eusabio, Maradonna etc, but it could be argued that we are currently in footballs golden age as we currently get to enjoy the almost relentless perfection from not only the two titans of the beautiful game Messi and Ronaldo, but also Neymar, Suarez, Hazard, Kane, Aguero and co (and that list is missing quite a few other stars!). Most will take for granted watching these every week, but especially in the case of Messi and CR7, I cant help but feel once they’ve both retired people will look back on this period of seeing them duel it out on our screens as possibly the pinnacle of individual performances and how lucky we have been alive to see arguably the world’s greatest ever players break scoring, assist and any other records you can think of on an almost weekly basis. The quality of the football being played by the teams is immaculate, as is the broadcasting of the sport on our tellies. For all Sky Sports ruining of the structure of English football (that’s maybe a debate for another day!), they really have given the product of football overall a kick up the arse and serve up a delicious feast of football to us from umpteen camera angles, debated over by umpteen degrees of varying quality pundits almost every night of the week. Yes, it’s annoying that most footy isn’t free to air, but when you don’t have the footy on Sky/Fox by jove you miss it! The most positive thing about the rise and rise of football around the world though is participation numbers. Numbers are up pretty much everywhere, especially in places such as Oz and NZ where the oval ball has for so long reined king. There are 3 factors for this as I see it. First, these national sides doing well and qualifying for recent World Cups. National sides dining at FIFAs top table turns heads, no matter if egg chasing is the preferred national past time. Secondly, as touched on above, the world’s top leagues are now able to be easily viewed around the world. Most Premier League sides have more fans in foreign countries than they do in England and this trend is not changing any time soon. And, thirdly, the high ex-pat populations from football loving nations moving and integrating in to non-football loving ones changes the overall demographic of non-traditional footballing nations and introduces the game to new territories at grass roots level. From there the only way is up as you don’t need to be big or strong, just have the willingness to chase after an inflated ball of leather and try and get it in a net. Anyone can play, and invariably they do. But despite loving all the above, I can’t also help but think that although the sport on the whole is currently at on if its highest peaks, the game is also teetering on the precipice of one of its greatest troughs. We are currently in the age of the individual. More and more often achievements in the game are measured on an individual basis. Captains, especially in England, are held in such high esteem its now become one of the sole reasons why England hasn’t won a tournament since Le Tournoi in ’97 (yes, that’s a legitimate trophy!); Ronaldo is revered the world over by kids that want to be like him – both in their ability with the ball, but also now unfortunately without it, with most young kids now diving and play acting all over the place and being more concerned about their hair and goal celebrations than team work and ethic. Also the Ballon d’Or is now given so much pomp and ceremony each year that it’s easy to forget that the players that are put forward for this acknowledgement are just one cog of a well-oiled 11-man machine. Another evil in the modern game is money. Yes, cash has brought us to the games current plateau, but it is also the cause of so much of the sports problems. Is the Premier League with all its riches having a detrimental impact on the English national side? Foreign players aim for the league to make a quick buck which will set them up for life, with most young English talent languishing in top flight sides reserve teams or farmed out on loan to never come back. Managers come and go quicker than a British Summer – clubs are so hungry for success (i.e. finishing another spot up the league table to maximise their potential earnings) that we will never see the likes of a Ferguson at Man Utd anymore, as managers will never be allowed time to experiment with their sides and blood in new players, as if the results don’t come, the P45 will. Another by-product of this money driven game is the slow creep of technology in to the game. First it was extra refs on the goal lines to try and spot fouls in the box and balls crossing the line; then it was the introduction of goal line technology as humans can’t be trusted…what’s next? Are we going to have video replays for all fouls all over the pitch, all of the time? Will yellow and red cards be contested in-game by coaches via video replay, when they occur? For me, although there is a definite benefit from all this technology, its overcomplicating what is a very simple game. It’s also a game that produces moments that fans will talk about forever – was England’s 3rd goal over the line in the 1966 world cup final? Did Lampard’s shot actually go over the line against Germany in South Africa in 2010? If the use of technology comes along and eradicates all doubt from matches, where will the incidents and talking points come from and what will fans endlessly argue about in the pub before/after the game and forever more? This onset of technology is not going to go away – the financial gains are too great for mistakes to be allowed to happen now in the modern game, which – and this can’t just be me – can only be seen as a shame? The final gripe of mine around money in the game is the lack of reality that it’s bought to football. Currently, Arsenal fans are moaning about 10+ years of finishing in the Premier Leagues top 4 and as a result want their currently legendary coach (who has not only transformed Arsenal, but could be argued modern football as we know it) sacked. Elsewhere in London, Leyton Orient fans are worried about the small matter of whether or not their 113yr old club will live to see its 114th birthday, due to the financial strife and mismanagement that the club has been subjected too over recent years. In my opinion Arsenal fans – and any other fans that aren’t in the top 17 of the Premier League – should be ashamed and embarrassed of themselves for being so far detached from reality. To bring this back to a more positive note though, my partner in footballing crime and I have decided to come up with some suggestions on how we think the beautiful game could be improved? Below are a few of my thoughts:
JeffEyesRimmer Ok, so let’s start on a positive note, I love the sheer volume of quality football on offer nowadays and I am in agreement with my fellow Outcast. Every week there is always a quality game on and something to look forward to on the weekend. I love that I can sit down on Sunday (in Australia) and watch highlights from all the major leagues in the world. I also love the Europa League, yes, I love the Champions Leagues little brother. I enjoy it more than the Champions League due to plenty of different teams and players participating each season. I find it enjoyable that we get to see different match ups and potential new stars. I find that as there’s less focus on the Europa League players can express themselves more. Again as my fellow Outcast states the UCL is too predictable, you can pretty much guess the semi-finals each season now and that to me is not what the competition should be about. The big clubs will continue to want to get the biggest bits of the pie but how good is it that Leicester is still there? I think the most obvious thing to hate is the corporate nature of football and the obscene money involved nowadays, its not about the fan or match day experience anymore. As much as I hate it, we are consumers now and that makes me feel a little dead inside. I hate how football is marketed today, with match ups between managers often being treated like going into battle rather than just a football match. Also I miss terraces in grounds. So what I would like to improve is the use of technology. While my fellow Outcast hates the use of technology I do like the see how technology can improve the game. The recent France v Spain match highlighted how video technology could be used to improve the game. I don’t think it needs to be introduced to all levels of football either, for instance, the use of hawkeye is only used in the big tournaments in tennis; you don’t see it on the back courts or smaller competitions. This could translate across to football, with only the big tournaments using it. While you will still have talking points, the use of it for goal that are offside (ill come to offsides) would be beneficial I think. I wouldn’t like to see it used across the field as this could stop the fast flow of counter attacks etc. but a simple use like in the France v Spain game could help, it really changed the result of the game. I think the most recent thing I would like changed or improved within the game itself is the offside rule. Theres a lot of ambiguity with the offsite rules and I have often found that the interpretation of the offside rule is inconsistent and I think it needs to be simplified. I also would like them to reverse the decision to go to a 48 team World Cup. The big one, that my partner in crime stated as well, is that FIFA needs to change. The recent reports into the corruption at the heart of FIFA have come to naught and clearly show that they cannot be trusted (if there was any doubt) to change on their own. Unfortunately the amount of money involved will likely prevent change but until this is happens football will be forever tarnished. The quality of football and delivery of it to us might be brilliant but at its core, at its very heart football is black and corrupt. That needs to change. Something on a more personal level that I am looking forward to, more hope than expectation is Cardiff City getting back into the EPL and actually staying there, also Wales reaching the World Cup. Thats our take on the game at the moment, what do you think? Agree, disagree? |
AuthorsJust Some Fans Writing About Football. Archives
June 2018
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